Nightmares
by Tanya Meridia
Summary: Set after "The Idiot's Lantern". Rose wakes up terrified after a nightmare about being trapped by the Wire. She goes to the Doctor for comfort. Fluff ensues.


_Darkness surrounded her. She felt horribly weightless, as if she was outside her body. She had only the briefest flashes of consciousness, of awareness. During these times, she would call for the Doctor, but he didn't hear her. She couldn't even hear herself._

Rose gasped as she woke up. She sat bolt upright, panting. She pushed her tangled hair out of her eyes. She must have been mental to think that she would be able sleep after the incident with the Wire. She sighed as she flopped back down onto her bed. She lay there for a while, wondering idly if it was worth trying to go back to sleep. Deciding against it, she rolled out of bed. She would go and make herself a cup of tea, and then go talk to the Doctor.

Rose walked along the corridor, towards the kitchen. Yawning, she set about making two mugs of tea. She carried the mugs along to the console room, figuring the Doctor would be there. He was sitting under the floor, next to the TARDIS console. He had a bundle of wires in one hand and the sonic screwdriver in the other. Rose placed the mugs down next to the metal grille, dropped lightly through the hole and then grabbed the mugs. She sat down next to the Doctor, handing him his tea.

"Oh brilliant, I was just about to make myself some tea," he said happily, taking a gulp.  
"No worries," Rose said, smiling. The Doctor grinned back at her, but then frowned slightly,

"I thought you were in bed,"

"I was. I couldn't sleep. Nightmares," said Rose.

"About the Wire?"

"Yeah," she didn't bother to ask how he knew. He always did. It was one of the many things she loved about the Doctor, "About when I was out of my body,"  
"You said you didn't remember that," the Doctor sounded concerned,

"I didn't," said Rose, "but then I dreamt about it and…" she trailed off. The Doctor put his arm around her, his mug in his other hand. Rose snuggled up against him.

"What was it like?" asked the Doctor,

"It was dark, and it felt like I wasn't in my body," answered Rose, "I had really short flashes of knowing what was going on. When that happened, I would call out for you, but I couldn't hear myself." The Doctor appeared calm, but Rose could see the rage building inside him.

"The Wire put you in a television," the Doctor said quietly,

"How?" asked Rose, incredulous,

"I'm not entirely sure, but that's where everyone was. Every person who got eaten ended up as a face on a television set."

"And that's why I didn't have a body. And that's why I couldn't hear myself." Rose looked up at the Doctor. He smiled slightly,  
"More importantly, are you sure you're alright?" he asked, his face full of concern,

"I'll be fine, really" she answered. She could see that he didn't believe her, but he let it go for the moment. Rose decided that it would be a good idea to change the subject.

"How do you think the wire put me in a telly?" she asked,

"I told you, I'm not sure," he replied,

"Yeah, but you've got an idea. You always have." The Doctor grinned at her.

"That's true. Anyway, as it happens I _do_ have a theory…" he trailed off,

"Which is?" Rose prompted,

"Weellll, I suppose the best way to explain it would be to compare it to digestion. The Wire stuffs itself. Gorges like a great fat pig. There will be stuff that it can't digest, and that's what ended up in the television screens,"

"Like it absorbed all the vitamins or whatever, and the other stuff ended up in the tellies?"

"Yes! Exactly!" The Doctor beamed, and she couldn't help but grin. That was another thing she loved about him. He made her feel clever. An ordinary girl with no A levels, who dropped out of school, and he could make her feel extraordinary. She snuggled up to him, listening to his twin heartbeats. Silences between them were never awkward. She felt calm, and a little sleepy.

When Rose woke up, she found herself back in her bedroom, with the Doctor looking down at her. He must have carried her back from the console room. Rose was impressed that he got her out from under the floor without waking her up.

"Goodnight Rose," said the Doctor. Rose gazed up at him,

"Will you stay?" she asked. Despite her assurances that she was fine, she was afraid to be alone. The Doctor looked conflicted for a moment, but then he sat down on the bed next to her. Rose moved across to give him more room. He lay down next to her, shoes and all. Rose snuggled up next to him, laying her head on his shoulder. She inhaled deeply. The Doctor smelled of wool and cotton and books and tea. And it was wonderful. Rose had to fight the urge to just snog him right there. She was pretty sure the Doctor thought of her as more than just a friend, but he had made it pretty clear that they couldn't be lovers. She understood why, she really did, but it was incredibly frustrating. To love someone as much as she loved the Doctor, to be almost sure that he loved her back at least a little. She idly wondered what would happen if she was to kiss him right then. He would obviously be completely shocked, but would he kiss her back? How would he react after that? Was it worth finding out? Without quite knowing what she was doing, Rose leaned over and pressed her lips gently to the Doctor's. It was very brief, and when she looked at the Doctor's face, shock was plastered all over it,

"Rose? What…" he was clearly bewildered. Rose was already kicking herself,

"I'm sorry, I just… I just wanted to see what it would be like" she finished lamely,

"What was it like?" asked the Doctor, curiosity clearly getting the better of him,

"Honestly? Brilliant," answered Rose, wondering it maybe, just maybe…

"Weellll," he shook his head slightly, "Look, Rose, that was lovely, but we can't…"

"Why can't we?" she demanded. She was going to get a straight answer out of him if it killed her.

"Because if I lost you as we are, it would break my hearts. But if I lost you and we were… I couldn't stand it." Rose didn't know whether to be sympathetic, annoyed, flattered, or all three. It was very sweet and very sad, but it was incredibly frustrating,

"But… Oh what's that proverb…? "It is better to have loved and to have lost than to never love at all." Rose looked smug,

"Yes, but, look, we just can't, alright?" _Checkmate, _thought Rose,

"That's not even a reason," Rose felt very smug indeed,

"If I say yes, will you stop bothering me?" asked the Doctor, sounding harassed,

"Yes,"

"Well, in that case." He placed his hands on either side of Rose's face, and pulled her towards him. He kissed her gently, and Rose kissed him back immediately. It was sweet, but passionate. When they broke apart, Rose rested her head on the Doctor's chest. She turned to face him,

"Doctor?"

"Mmm?"

"I win," she said, smiling up at him.

* * *

**Author's Note: Thank you for reading. I really appreciate it if you left a review.**


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